Heal your Headache - Migraine Diet Update

I wanted to share an update to my post entitled "Migraine Associated Vertigo" to give you an update on my experience with the migraine diet from the book, Heal your Headache by Dr. Buchholz.  (He seems to believe that even dizziness/vertigo and the host of other symptoms I experience are migraine related and that by following the diet laid out in his book, they symptoms should decrease or cease all together.  I wish!)

I followed this diet for 6 weeks (I remember reading in the book somewhere, but now I can't find it, to give it 6-8 weeks and then up to 4 months symptom free before introducing "trigger" foods back into the diet). Some may argue I should have tried it longer, but I will tell you why I did not. I was doing pretty well before starting the diet. My symptoms were troublesome and chronic (as in, 24/7), but the vestibular therapy gave me a lot of relief. After starting the diet, I actually got worse. As someone who got actual headaches only once and a while (a few a month, if that), I started getting them at least 3x per week. They were massive headaches too. Also, out of nowhere, I experienced the worst dizziness I had ever experienced since this whole illness began in January (up until starting the diet, my dizziness had been predictable, but this was a major turn for the worse.  I blogged about that experience here). This happened 3 times and actually set me back in vestibular therapy. I had to go back to my most basic exercises, whereas before the diet I had gotten pretty advanced. My life was pretty manageable, feeling about 80-90% better most days before the diet, but after the diet and this major episode of horrendous vertigo, I was back to being practically bed ridden. I couldn't drive for weeks, whereas before I could drive just fine (as previously noted, my dizziness almost always fells better while I in motion and never bothered me while driving up to this point). I actually thought that perhaps the diet WAS working and this was my brain's way of healing and adjusting, so I decided to continue on. However, my health overall just felt like it was starting to decline.

Since there seems to be some sort of trigger food in everything, I started relying too heavily on carbs & sugar. I know this is my own fault, but with a diet so limited, day old bread was pretty easy to reach for when I didn't know what else to eat. I couldn't even follow the sample diet in the book. Dr. Buchholz suggests roast beef sandwiches (what kind of roast beef, surely not processed deli meat??), tuna salad (what about the mayo that has vinegar and lemon juice in it?), grilled cheese sandwiches (I can't find preservative free cheese around here). As for his sample breakfasts, though it sounds good, it's just not healthy to live on waffles with maple syrup, blueberry muffins and bagels with cream cheese every day (not that I could find a preservative free cream cheese anyway). Dinner was the easiest because of Heidi Gunderson's Migraine-Free Cooking cookbook, but I found breakfast and lunch to be limited. I can't remember the last time I ate a decent salad. Although Dr. Buchholz says white wine vinegar is "allowable" in small amounts, I can't use it because of the sulfites. The problem is that now I can't use avocados, lemon juice or yogurt either to make my own salad dressing with those. Eating out was not even an option. Don't get me wrong, if this diet helped me, I would gladly never eat out another day in my life, but it did not.

I think the stress of following the diet and worrying about what food might have a trigger in it caused me to feel much worse too. I'm not saying others with a vestibular disorder shouldn't try, I'm just sharing you my experience. I would personally try anything (that's natural like a diet) and now I can say I did. Do I think it would have "worked" if I tried the diet longer? No, not at all. I have actually been feeling much better now that I stopped following it.  I don't mean that my dizziness is much better, but I feel better overall with more strength, energy and peace of mind and that, in itself, makes the symptoms more bearable and less debilitating. 

 

I do know that before this diet, I had my eyes on the Lord more often, looking to Him to get me through each day in trust that He would.  After starting the diet, I began looking to myself and this diet for help.  It became an obsession of sorts, especially when trying to avoid all "trigger foods". I am genuinely happy for those this diet worked for and if it has helped you and your vestibular disorder, praise God!!  I wish it had worked for me too, but the Lord has other plans for me.

 

Keep looking up! (medical UPdate on my vestibular disorder)

I saw my ENT doctor yesterday for a follow-up visit. I told her all about my recent developments with my illness, how I seem to have had some sort of set back.  I told her all about my theory on me possibly having migraine associated vertigo (which she shot down), and how I started the MAV diet (she had no comment as to whether or not I should continue).  She basically told me that what I'm experiencing is a "normal" part of this illness. I know it's true to have ups and downs, but to have my symptoms dramatically change after being the same for 6 months puzzled me. It's still hard to accept that it's normal, but what else can I do when no one knows for sure? She doesn't think I have migraine associated vertigo because I don't have the "classic" symptoms, which to her knowledge include the headache with the dizziness/vertigo.  However, this goes against everything I've read about the illness. From what I understand, a lot of sufferers have the vestibular symptoms of the migraine with no pain (I do have a history of true headache type migraines).  After a lengthy talk, she concluded with: "I'll be honest with you, I could be wrong". Not very reassuring!

 

She went on to tell me not to fear the positional vertigo, that is fatigues quickly if I just let it pass instead of changing position to make it stop. Thankfully, this type of dizziness does not happen to me often, but it was a nice reminder.  Although then she added: "If it doesn't stop, feel free to curse me out".  Again, not very reassuring! 

 

While on the topic of vertigo, I told her that I had not laid on my right side for years for fear of triggering an attack, as any previous bouts of positional vertigo I had would be triggered by laying on my right side.  She told me not to avoid this position, but rather get back into it so my brain can get used it.  She then told me about one of her patients who told her she would get dizzy when looking up so she hadn't looked up for 10 years!  I had to chuckle because I could certainly relate to the avoidance behavior.  She said she told this woman, don't do that, keep looking up!  (In other words, don't avoid the position that makes you uncomfortable.)

 

As I lay in bed this morning, in between that place of still being asleep and just waking up, the words "keep looking up" came back to me and I immediately thought about looking up towards God.  I was reminded of this scripture: "Therefore, if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.  Set your mind on things above, not on the things that are on the earth" (Colossians 3:1-2)

 

I know He wants me to look to Him, not to my illness but it's all I can focus on since my latest attack and I know it's not where my mind should be. I look up, I look down, I look back up, I look back down and sometimes I'm looking down for too long.  A lot of times I'm still looking down even when I'm looking up.  I'm seeking the Lord and professing my trust, as I'm seeking ways to lessen my symptoms or get healed through diets, supplements, doctors, holistic practitioners.  Why can't I truly rest in His promise to heal me and just wait!?

I left the doctor's office without any more knowledge regarding my illness than I had before. As a matter of fact, I may be more confused. She continues to believe I have uncompensated labyrinthitis and that it will get better one day.

 

Dear Lord, I know You know that this illness is not easy for me, but I also know You want me to trust You completely.  I have dealt with fear, anxiety and control my whole life and it's clear you are working through these things in my life with this illness.  I thank You that in your sovereignty You know exactly what is going on and have it all under control.  Thank you for the spiritual work you are doing in my life and that I can rest knowing You have my best interests in mind through it all.  Please help me to stop seeking other forms of reassurance and to only look up and to keep looking up!  In Jesus' name I pray, Amen!

 

 

Thankfulness

"Always be joyful, never stop praying, be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus" (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

 



I've been doing a study on the book of Colossians and Paul talks a lot about being thankful. A cross reference study question led me to the Thessalonians scripture above one day and it really made me stop and think.  It's God's will for me to be thankful in all circumstances (as well as joyful!).  I haven't exactly been obedient in this area. While I don't think He expects me to sit around and thank Him for allowing me to be dizzy all day and night, I do think He wants me to have an attitude of thankfulness because of all that I DO have to be thankful for thanks to my new life in Him. (On some level, I am thankful for this illness because it's what God used to bring me closer to Him than I have ever been before.)

 

First and foremost, I am thankful for my salvation and my reconciliation to God, my Father, through the blood of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, without whom I could not have possibly made it through a single day of this illness.  I am also forever thankful to God for my husband, who the Lord has given to me as my love, encourager, strength and so much more.

 

Today, practically speaking despite my illness, I am thankful for:

• Being able to get out of bed.

• The time I was able to spend in Bible study and prayer without any major episodes of dizziness trying to stop me!

• The fact that I was able to feed and care for my pets :)

• A successful vestibular rehabilitation appointment, despite the fact that it was very difficult mentally and emotionally to realize how far I have backslidden in my therapy due to this recent bout of vertigo.  I made it through each and every exercise with the Lord's strength when every part of me wanted to give up and felt fearful that it might trigger dizziness.

• Being able to do two loads of laundry and run the dishwasher.

• My recliner, air conditioning and nice, long nap in the afternoon!

• The fact that I was able to prepare dinner and enjoy it at my dining room table with my husband

• A nice, warm shower that I was able to take. Speaking of the shower, I'm also thankful for not getting hurt more seriously when I fell (ironically, not because of my dizziness)

All in all I'd say it was a good day despite feeling worse lately. I need to focus on the good.  I want this to be a habit, a life change, but it's so hard.  It's something only the Lord can do in me as I make the daily choice to focus on all I have to be thankful for.

 

Do you struggle with being joyful and thankful, especially in the really hard times?

 

 

A bump along the dizzy road (Part 2)

I wanted to keep a written record of the recent events regarding my dizziness (see: "A bump along the dizzy road" (Part 1)) because every month, around my menstrual cycle, I feel horrible and think I'm never going to get better.  There were some things I left out my "bump in the road (Part 1)" post that I wanted to share, mostly for my own benefit, but perhaps others could give me some insight or commiseration too.
 

 

A few days before I had my recent attack of vertigo, I felt like I was coming down with a cold.  I was sneezing like crazy, felt run down and had a sore throat.  Ironically, my dizziness was feeling really well considering my menstrual cycle was due and the possible impending cold (colds and sickness can set a vestibular illness back).  Ever since I started the Heal your Headache diet for suspected Migraine Associated Vertigo, I've noticed small improvements in my condition, so I was very encouraged by that.  On Monday, I made a batch of elderberry syrup with honey to combat my oncoming cold.  I also started taking a spoonful of honey and cinnamon for my sore throat.  On Tuesday night, I had a massive headache and finally gave in to taking two Ibuprofen.  I also had a gigantic bowl of vanilla ice cream (Turkey Hill natural - no preservatives) with home made whipped cream (from the Migraine-Free Cookbook) and some caramel topping (also all natural).  I know that bowls of ice cream tend to make me wake up with a sugar hang over, but of course I had to have a bowl.

I woke up Wednesday morning feeling really off.  My head felt strange; however, my sore throat was gone and I didn't feel like I was coming down with a cold anymore.  After I bent down to feed my cat and stood back up, a few seconds later is when the vertigo started.  That story can be found in the post linked above. My menstrual cycle started later that day.
 

Every month during my cycle, my dizziness increases.  It also increases during pressure changes.  Sadly enough, the day I got my cycle, we were due for rain and I clearly was also combatting some type of illness.  Could all three of these things have been what sent my condition over the edge?  All I know is that every month, I feel worse and think I will never get better.  This month though, I feel worse then ever!  It's like I took one giant step backwards. Every day I have felt like a walking zombie, with tons of pressure in my head, terrible eye aches and the feeling like I might tip over or have vertigo again.  Thankfully I haven't had the vertigo again but I feel really, really lousy, like the worst ever since this whole thing started in January.  I've gone back to my basic vestibular exercises and even those are causing my dizziness to increase badly.  For that reason, I've been spending a lot of time lying down.  I know that's bad for this condition, but it's too frightening and uncomfortable to get up and move around too much.
 

I don't know what to do.  Since doctors have no clue how to help, that leaves out their advice. Since everyone's symptoms on any forum or support group I visit and read about vary as much as each snowflake, I simply cannot wrap my mind around this illness and that really upsets me.  It bugs me that no one can tell me what is happening and why and that there is no cure.  Perhaps this is in fact the perfect illness for me to have so the Lord can continue to work in my life.  After all, without any sort of control over the situation or method of healing, I have no where else to turn but to Him.  I truly know what it means now to trust in Him with all my heart and lean not on my own understanding (Proverbs 3:5).  As if I could have any understanding with this illness!?  Now if only I can get the head knowledge into my heart and quit trying so hard to make this go away!!!
 

As I sat in prayer this morning, crying once again to the Lord, the Holy Spirit spoke this word to me: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Phil 4:13). I was so thankful the Lord gave me that truth and it filled me with peace. Several hours later, I went back through my journal that I've been keeping (I call it my book of encouragement) filled with scriptures and teachings on healing and waiting on the Lord, and I came across a list I made of truths versus lies a few months ago. One of the lies I was believing at the time was about me getting worse.  I wrote down the lie: what if I get worse?  The truth I used to combat that lie was written in the adjacent column and it said: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me".   Thank you, Lord.  I've never needed your strength so bad in my life!

A bump along the dizzy road (Part 1)
 

A bump along the dizzy road (Part 1)

More like one of those gigantic speed bumps you have to slow the car down to a stop to get over! Yesterday I woke up and just didn't feel right. I went about my usual business of getting my husband's lunch ready for work and taking care of the pets. When I bent down to feed the cats, I really felt off.  When I stood back up, everything started to spin. I haven't had spinning vertigo since my illness started back in January, so this was really disheartening.  It only lasted a few seconds, but was enough to scare me.  I ran to get my husband, as he hadn't left for work yet. I went straight to my bed to lay back and relax.  Once I laid down, the spinning started again so I sat back up and after a few seconds, it went away.  Although it did leave me with the serious desire to vomit. I ran to the bathroom and dry-heaved a bit (sorry, that's gross), but nothing came up.  

 

As I sat on the bathroom floor, all sorts of thoughts, which should have been taken captive, ran through my mind.  Am I getting worse, what if it doesn't stop, is this going to be my new "normal", what if??  My biggest question was "Why, God??" Why, after all this time and the promise to heal me, would I seemingly get worse?  I'm used to having good days and bad with this illness, but this was the worst bad day yet. I'm going to tell it like it is, I was pretty much hysterical. I was crying and begging Him to please make this stop.  My husband kneeled down beside me and we prayed right there on the bathroom floor.

The spinning did stop, but I spent the rest of the day in our recliner, as sitting straight up was the only position where the dizziness would stop. Looking up or bending down was the worst trigger. I called my vestibular therapist and she told me to rest, avoiding any head movements that might trigger the vertigo.  My wonderful husband took the day off from work, as I really didn't want to be alone!  Filled with fear (when it should have been faith), I sent out a bunch of prayer requests.  Nothing, and I mean nothing, makes me feel better than knowing people are praying for me.

I really felt discouraged and did a whole lot of crying. I had trusted God to never let the vertigo happen again and here I was experiencing it.  (In His defense, He never promised that.)  I went on and on to God about how I had walked through this illness by faith for 6 months, trusting Him, waiting on Him, worshipping Him, studying His word, getting out of bed when I just wanted to stay under the covers, going to the supermarket and other places instead of staying home for fear of how I might feel while I'm there, and now this? I admitted defeat and that I could no longer go on like this. Technically, I don't have a choice in whether or not I'm going to live like this, but I do have a choice about how I'm going to feel or think about it. I'm ashamed today to think about everything I just shared.  I'm ashamed and sad at how I could question God and His ways or to react in such fear and discouragement rather than in faith and trust.

My pastor told me something a while back that I thought about.  He said "when you're faced with what you don't know, rely on what you do know".  What do I know?  I know that God loves me (Jeremiah 31:3), He has good plans for my life (Jeremiah 29:11), I know that God works all things together for good for those who love Him (Romans 8:28), I know that He promised to heal me (2 Kings 20:5), that He is always with me (Deut 31:6), I know that I should not be afraid or let my heart be troubled, but trust in Him (John 14:1, 27; Joshua 1:9, Psalm 56:3), I haven't been given a spirit of fear (2 Tim 1:7), He is perfecting me through this (James 1:2-4), and I know that He is sovereign, in control (Psalm 103:19, 1 Chronicles 29:11-12).  This is the truth I know that I need to dwell on. I don't know that it will make the vertigo any less frightening in the moment, but choosing to run to God's truth over dwelling on the enemies lies will undoubtedly produce more peace and trust in my life rather than chaos and further anxiety.

I wish I could say the thought of it happening again is not crossing my mind every minute, but it is.  It's hard to imagine choosing not to think those thoughts, but I know I can. The power of what I think lies in my choice to either take my thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5), or to let them roam free and allow the devil to have his field day. Lord, help me to dwell on Your truth!! 

I'm feeling better today than yesterday, but not 100% yet. I saw my vestibular therapist and she performed the Dix-Hallpike test to see if I would test positive for positional vertigo and nystagmus.  It didn't trigger any spinning or involuntary eye movements, so I guess that's good. She put me through a series of basic exercises and determined that my balance is still very good.  I am thankful for the previous 4 months of balance therapy that have strengthened my other balance organs!  I left feeling encouraged.

As for feeling defeated, as I sit here and type this, I'm reminded by the Lord that it's not possible. Because I'm in Christ, the battle has already been won and victory is already mine (1 John 5:4-5).

A bump along the dizzy road (Part 2)

 

Faithful Workouts: Dance (Pazaz) and Power Stretch

I've been wanting to do a blog post about Faithful Workouts for a while now.  After doing their new "Pazaz" workout, I just had to share about it!  I first want to thank God that He has brought me to a place in my illness where I can do formal workouts now. My health is definitely something I have taken for granted and I'm just so thankful to Him that fitness is part of my doctor's prescription to help me get better. There was a time where I couldn't face a workout because of my dizziness, so to do a 30 minute cardio workout and be able to blog about it after is truly a blessing from God.  I just take one day He blesses me with at a time!

I came to know Faithful Workouts a few years ago while on a fitness forum.  I was looking for Christian workouts and these were recommended to me. I ordered a bunch of workouts and really liked them, but I wasn't in the right spiritual place to fully appreciate them at the time.  As I posted about before, I spent years in bondage regarding my body image.  I was obsessed with fitness and diets and used them as a means to try and achieve a certain look, a look which of course always eluded me. After all, our flesh nature is never satisfied, now is it?  In a blog post found here, I wrote about how God used my current illness to free me from the chains of idolatry regarding fitness and food, among other things. In years prior, the Faithful Workout DVD's I purchased were just one of the many tools I used to try and attain my aesthetic goals.  However, God worked on my heart to get rid of all of my other workouts (I must have had at least 100) and to only keep these.  

(As a side note, I got rid of all my workouts other than one stretching workout I really liked. I didn't feel right about keeping it because I was not completely obeying God.  I kind of felt like Abraham keeping Lot around. ;-) I didn't want to part with it though because I love stretching and didn't know what I would do without it.  As luck God would have it, when Pazaz was released, it included a stretch routine!  I couldn't get rid of that last workout fast enough :-) ).

Image from http://www.faithfulworkouts.com/dance-pazaz-and-stretch-dvd/

Pazaz is a 37 minute dance workout set to upbeat, Christian music, based on David's dance for the Lord in 2 Samuel 6:14. It is so much fun!! I had to modify some of the moves because of my illness, but still worked up a good sweat. Each routine has moves that build upon each other, leading up to putting it all together before moving on to the next. The moves are pretty basic and easy to catch on to.  It might take a time or two, but once you get everything down, you're free to move and enjoy the music!  I couldn't decide which routine was my favorite.  Just when I thought I loved one the most, the next one would make me think the same thing.  There's a break in the middle with all standing ab work, which I loved as well. I'm really into standing ab work!  The final stretch is really encouraging as Michelle talks about having joy in the Lord and not our circumstances.  It was a message I really needed to hear.  One of the things I love most about these workouts is the encouraging messages and scripture that are included.  

As for the Power Stretch routine, I loved that too! It was very relaxing. It lives up to its name since some moves did require muscle "power" to hold the poses. I got my husband to do this one with me and he kept saying how great he felt afterwards. The music was soothing and the message in this one was just as encouraging as the message in Pazaz.  It's based on the story of David and Goliath.  This one is about 20 minutes long.

Here's a clip:

What makes Faithful Workouts different than anything else out there, besides the Christian message and music, is that fact that it includes information on faith and fuel and not just fitness. You can purchase workbooks on the website with weekly readings that include biblical information on faith, fitness and fuel. I purchased one of the plans a while back that included a menu plan and daily readings and found it so encouraging. It really helped me transform the way I viewed fitness and eating. Faithful Workouts is one of the tools the Lord used to show me that a healthy body is important to serve Him and I am so thankful for it.  Check out their website!  You can even purchase clothing, homeschooling tools and fitness equipment. 

I just wanted to mention that I'm not saying that non-Christian workouts are bad for Christians. This is my walk and what the Lord is showing me personally.  I am susceptible to buying into the lies other videos may tell when they talk about "getting a bikini body" or something similar.  As I walk with the Lord and desire to transform my mind, using these workouts help me to focus on the truth (Phil 4:8).  I honestly believe that what we hear and allow into our minds will affect what we think and how we live. We're either feeding the flesh or feeding the spirit and Faithful Workouts will feed your spirit! I want God involved in all I do and to glorify Him even in my fitness life. I thank God for Faithful Workouts and pray every day that He continues to bless this ministry.  

As for Pazaz, this is a must have!  You won't be disappointed.  I am already hoping for a sequel!! :)

Migraine Associated Vertigo (MAV)

It's been a while since I last posted and I wanted to share where I'm at right now with my illness.

I posted several times before about my vestibular disorder that I've been living with since January. My doctor has no idea what's causing it and lumped me into the "it must be uncompensated Labyrinthitis" group. She knows for sure it's not Meniere's Disease, but other than that, it's a mystery. I've been successfully doing vestibular rehabilitation therapy since March. It has helped reduce my symptoms dramatically, although I still have major set backs any time the pressure changes or I get my monthly cycle. 

I shared my story on a few different dizzy forms the past several months and got responses from some very nice women who suggested I might have Migraine Associated Vertigo. I had read about it in the past during my research, but never explored it in depth.  One of the women recommended a book called "Heal your Headache: The 1-2-3 Program for taking control of your pain" by David Buchholz, MD.  I ordered the book from my library and went to pick it up before my vestibular therapy appointment yesterday morning. While at my appointment, I talked more about my symptoms with my therapist.  I didn't mention anything about the book. She said I reminded her a lot of another one of her patients who has Migraine Associated Vertigo. Apparently she had seen some top doctors at John Hopkins University who diagnosed it. She gave me a hand out to read and suggested I get a copy of Heal your Headache.  I couldn't believe it; I told her I just got the book from my library!  I often look for confirmations from the Lord that He's telling me something because I don't want to seek any kind of treatment outside of His will, believing wholeheartedly that He will make good on His promise to heal me because His word is true, always. I took this recommendation by my therapist as a confirmation since I had been praying for Him to use her and guide her in a mighty way regarding my treatment.  I had also been praying for His wisdom, knowledge and guidance.  

I read through the entire book yesterday. I just could not put it down. All my symptoms were described in the book as migraine related: head pain & pressure, sinus pressure, ear pain and fullness, dizziness! I always knew migraines could cause visual symptoms, not just intense headaches, but I had no idea they could cause vestibular (and a whole host of other!) problems too.  I used to get horrible migraines when I was younger, the kind that cause horrendous head pain, light sensitivity, nausea and vomiting. I only had a handful and then they went away, though I struggled since then on and off with dizziness.  Could it be that what I'm experiencing is migraine related?

I'm going to follow the diet recommended in the book, eliminating all common migraine "triggers" to see if it helps with my symptoms.  If it does, praise God!  If it doesn't, praise God! I thank Him for this opportunity to give something a try, but if this is not something that will help me, then I trust Him to bring it to pass in His time and in His way.  

I highly recommend this book though.  It's an excellent read and a real eye opener. Any doctor that challenges the status quo is okay in my book.   

If you've read the book or tried the diet, I'd love for you to share your experiences! For more information on recipes related to this specific diet, the follow links are highly beneficial:

Migraine-Free Cooking (a blog with recipes based on the book)

Migraine-Free Cooking (recipe book based on Heal your Headache)

I ordered the Migraine-Free Cooking book today and look forward to receiving it!  I spent the day clearing my cupboards of any triggers.  My loss is the food pantry's gain!

UPDATE: I tried the Heal your Headache diet for 6 weeks and then I called it quits.  For the entire update and all of the details, please refer to this post: "Heal your Headache - Migraine Diet Update".  In a nutshell, it did not work for me.